


Moments like this

by HexingQueen



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-23 13:10:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20008834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HexingQueen/pseuds/HexingQueen
Summary: He worries, sometimes, that she minds.But for moments like this, they both think the secrecy is worth it.





	Moments like this

“I love you.”

He sighs, the arm he has around her pulling her closer, “I love you too.”

One of the perks of knowing Hyrule like the back of your hand is knowing places nobody goes - even if that means sitting on the floor of an abandoned house in a hidden village under the pretence of offering a prayer to Eldin.

It’s not exactly the most romantic location, but it’s not like there’s anywhere else.

He hates it.

Well - maybe not  _ hate,  _ but he wishes it could be different. Everything’s so  _ secret.  _ He knows it has to be, for her sake - at least right now - but she deserves better than this.

He doesn’t care about sitting on the floor. Frankly, he doesn’t care where he is, because there’s always  _ somewhere _ worse he’s been - but the floor of a run-down town isn’t exactly befitting of Hyrule’s Princess.

She doesn’t mind, she says - never will she take anything for granted, and she’s lucky there  _ are _ places they can be like this, even if she isn’t used to it. 

But still.

He curses at the fact he isn’t royalty, sometimes. 

“Are you hungry?” He presses gently, “I’m sorry I couldn’t fit more in the bag. I just didn’t want to look suspicious.” 

“You worry so, Link.” She shakes her head, “I’m fine.”

“I’m just making sure.”

He knows he worries, but he can’t help it. He just feels so bad about everything - the fact three bruised apples and a squashed loaf of bread is the most he can offer her in terms of a lunch. 

He’s never really sure whether she’s lying for his sake or not, besides. She isn’t the most openly vulnerable person, and he knows she’s stronger than to throw a fit at wanting dinner - but if there’s a chance she’s somehow not okay, he at least wants to  _ check.  _

“Are you alright?” She says suddenly, shifting out of his loose embrace and sitting up to look at him.

Zelda doesn’t like showing much emotion outwardly, but one thing that’s always given it away is her eyes. He doesn’t understand how she can show so much through them - even from their first meeting, the hurt and guilt shown so clearly in them had betrayed her stoic face. 

Or maybe he just looked at them for too long. 

“Link?” She pushes, reaching a hand out to cup his face, “What’s wrong?”

She tries to look calm, but her eyes betray her, again. She looks  _ sad. _

He reaches his hand up to meet hers, lacing their fingers together and bringing them to rest on her lap, “I’m fine,” he assures her, “I’m sorry. I zoned out, huh?”

She raises an eyebrow.

“Link.”

Well, maybe blatantly lying to a girl gifted with the wisdom of the gods isn’t the greatest recipe for success. 

“Aw, Zeldie, come on.” He mumbles, “I said I’m fine.”

“That doesn’t mean I have to believe you,” Comes her immediate reply, “And I certainly do not. Is something bothering you? Can I help?”

“I don’t-” He starts, his usual protest ready, but she looks so upset he stops. “...It’ll bore you.”

At least he’s admitted to there being something bothering him, he thinks, and she probably doesn’t want to listen to him rambling on about their relationship. 

“It won’t.”

Never mind.

It’s not that he doesn’t want to open up to her. It’s just that… she’s very… ambitious. And he knows if he lets on he feels guilty having to treat her like this, she’ll try something very over the top for his sake - like speaking to her council about ceasing the search for suitors, or something like that. One plan that will  _ not _ end well - he isn’t exactly a politician, but he’s sure a common farm hand is absolutely not on the cards for consort of Hyrule.

That’s the thing about Zelda. She’s selfless above all else. It’s a quality he admires a lot, but it worries him, sometimes.

And, although he knows she can handle herself enough, he doesn’t want her to have to go to any extra trouble. Repairs on Hyrule were taxing enough, to her, as well as the government pushing for a marriage (one she had quite forcefully said no to, given the fact her kingdom was a shambles and she intended to first make sure her citizens were safe and happy before wasting expense on a Royal Wedding. The fact her personally appointed bodyguard kissed her more than he bowed to her was something she tactfully neglected to mention), and he didn’t want her having another argument on the go.

He wasn’t sure how it would end, anyway. Maybe she would convince them - he had a pretty nifty triforce piece going for him - but he didn’t pronounce words the way she did and he was better at milking goats than doing up buttons.

She seemed pretty intent on getting him to open up, though, and she could always tell if he made something up.

It’s not like she would ever pressure him into talking to her if he really didn’t want to, but she always looked a little disappointed when he didn’t.

So, he sighs, letting go of her hand - he guesses they’d have to have this talk at some point, anyway.

“I just feel bad.” He begins, “always having to be like this. You deserve better.”

“I don’t want better.”

“Zelda, please.”

She’s always defensive when he suggests he isn’t good enough for her - he doesn’t know  _ why;  _ she must know it’s true.

“You shouldn’t feel bad,” She continues, “I don’t mind it. It’s nice to get out.”

_ Not to here,  _ he thinks, although he doesn’t say anything. If she wants to get out, then she deserves to see Lake Hylia, or Eldin Spring, or Zora’s Domain - not another abandoned, unknown place shoved at the back of a cave somewhere on the outskirts of Hyrule.

She’s saying something else, although he doesn’t really process what - he’s too busy thinking about how she would react to him taking her to Lake Hylia. Would it  _ really  _ be so bad if someone caught them? Who would-

“Are you listening?”

_ Oops.  _

“I… yeah?”

“Is that a question or a statement?”

It actually scares him a bit when she puts on her ‘princess voice’. She doesn’t do it on purpose, but it’s… definitely easy to tell she rules a country, sometimes.

“I dunno, your highness,” he sighs, bringing his knees to his chest, “could we change the topic?”

She flinches slightly at the title, but attempts to brush it aside, shrugging her shoulders, “if you’d like to, I’m not opposed… but I do wish you would trust me a bit more with these things.”

“That’s not-”

“It’s okay.”

“Of course I trust you.” 

Even if he doesn’t want to talk her ear off about goats, he definitely doesn’t want her thinking he doesn’t trust her. So… maybe he  _ should _ open up, he supposes, just this once. 

“Just… if I tell you, do you promise not to try and fix it?” He asks.

“Why wouldn’t I try to fix it?” She questions in response, “If I can make things better for you, I will.”

“I know,” he says, turning to face her, “but it would help me the most if you just listened, okay? Don’t go runnin’ off trying to make me royalty or anything.”

He was never really embarrassed of his accent, before he met her. She says she likes it, but it stands out a lot in Castle Town.

“Well, I’m not sure I could do that anyway. But if you want me to just listen, then I’m more than willing.”

That’s great and all, but he has absolutely no idea how to word how he feels without offending her. He doesn’t want to seem like he’s calling her stuck up or anything, and he  _ definitely  _ doesn’t want to imply he wants the nature of their relationship to change.

...He knows how it feels to have people leave. 

He can’t help but wonder how Midna would react to him and Zelda, sometimes. Well, no, he doesn’t have to wonder - he pretty much knows she would make some sort of stupid crude joke and call him ‘Prince furry’, or something. 

Midna aside, though.

“Zelda, what happens when Hyrule is all done up? Won’t you have to, like… I don’t know, marry some random prince?”

She takes a moment to process the question, although she doesn’t seem too surprised by it. It must play on her mind, too, he guesses.

“Well, I believe we have quite a while before we need to think that far ahead. I would say two years more at the absolute least,” She muses, “since the repairs are very numerous and expensive, and that’s if it’s all done quickly. Although, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to plan ahead. 

In that case, I would assume a political marriage would be pushed. However, our country’s hurt is very fresh, and I don’t think the people would oppose to… well.”

“To what, me shedding goat hair over a million rupee carpet?” He manages to joke, although the tone is still somewhat a serious one, “how do you know my kids won’t be goats too?”

“No! I mean to their _ hero  _ becoming prince consort,” She continues, although she’s  _ blushing  _ slightly now, which is a rarity, “and, well, you know… yes. You aren’t royalty, but you have a piece of the triforce, so, er… I have quite a solid basis for argument. 

...And our children won’t be goats, Link!”

She sounds genuinely outraged at the suggestion, although he’s glad he managed to lighten the mood slightly - plus, getting her to blush is always a bonus in any situation.

But her embarrassment aside, she sounded fairly sure in herself with what she said, and it makes him feel a little better to know she had obviously been pondering the situation as well as him. 

“Naw, they won’t be.” He grins, leaning over to ruffle her hair, “I can’t make any promises they won’t be half wolf, though.”

“This was supposed to be a serious conversation!” She huffs, although she doesn’t sound genuinely annoyed by any means, “...Is that all that you wanted to ask?”

He shrugs, a lazy smile on his lips, “I guess. I just wish I could give you better than this.”

“I wish you wouldn’t say that.”

“I’ll take you to Lake Hylia one day, I promise.”

The lake was definitely one of the more beautiful places he’d been - but, somehow, he figures it wouldn’t look nearly  _ half  _ as impressive if she was there. Things just seemed to pale in comparison to her - maybe that was just in his eyes, but she gave off such an aura of beauty and elegance he was pretty sure the goddesses themselves wouldn’t match up. Still, he wants to show her the way the lights reflect off the water at sunset - how you can climb the tower and see the desert. But it’ll have to wait, as most things will. 

“I’d like that a lot.” She says, “But this is good, too.”

“Are you sure?” He asks, “it’s not my first choice of location for a Princess.”

“It’s nice.” She reassures him again, “it’s old and run down, yes, but all that means is there’s nice history… and the cats are cute.”

“You so would be a cat person.”

“What, and you’re a dog pers--” She stops, rolling her eyes at his smirk, “Oh, never mind, O noble beast.”

He laughs softly, putting his arm around her shoulders again, “Sorry, sunshine, you walked right into that one.”

She scoffs, although she returns the embrace and rests her head in the crook of his neck, so she can’t be that annoyed.

“I’m glad you like it here, though.” He says, “I know it’s just a bunch of empty wooden houses, but it’s the nicest private place around here… I’m above making you sit in a cave.”

“I’m grateful for it,” She replies, “but you know I wouldn’t mind that either.”

She probably wouldn’t, he knows, but he feels bad enough making her sit on the floor here. He knew from the day she rode bareback on Epona shooting arrows of pure light she wasn’t going to fit into whatever prissy ‘Princess’ stereotype people had in mind, but he still wanted to show her the respect she was worthy of.

...Well. He had started off showing her that level of respect before ‘your highness’ turned into ‘Zeldie’, but even if titles and bows weren’t necessary in private anymore, he still wanted to treat her the way she deserved if he could help it.

Even still, whether she minds or not, he still wants to make whatever effort he can.

“You know, next time,” He says, “we could try and go to Ordon again.”

Ordon was, really, the safest place he could think of - he trusted the residents there not to gossip (why would they, even if they were strangers?), and travellers visited the village so rarely it was pretty much guaranteed there would be no outsiders there. There was an actual place for her to sleep (even if it put him on the floor), and  _ hot food.  _ It didn’t match up to the banquets in Castle Town, but at least Uli’s soup was warm and homely.

In his opinion, it was far nicer than the food in the castle, but he  _ had  _ been raised with it.

As safe as Ordon was, though, it wasn’t really feasible for them to spend so much time there - there was no reason the Princess herself would have to visit such a small town for trade purposes, so the only excuse was praying in the spring there - but, again, Ordona was a very small province and it would raise far too many questions if she had to ‘pray’ to the spirit of a little village more than one of the main deities.

Once every few months, though, they could manage two or three days.

“Oh, I would love to!” She replies, her eyes lighting up at the prospect, “it’s been so long since I’ve seen everybody. I have missed Ilia, you know, she and I have a lot in common.”

“I’m glad you two get on,” He smiles, genuinely, “it’s nice to see.”

It  _ was,  _ truthfully. He had been a little worried at how Ilia would react the first time he made it clear to the villagers Zelda was a friend (well - he used that word) and her visits weren’t necessarily…  _ official business,  _ but Ilia had warmed up to her soon enough. It wasn’t that she was jealous, by any means - she had always been nothing but kind, but he figured the prospect of a childhood friend walking hand in hand into your home with a Princess was a bit of an odd concept.

“Well, we get on very well! I have been meaning to ask her if she would like to pay Ralis a visit, so perhaps another one of our Ordon outings is overdue,” the princess rambles on, “and I have a lot of old dresses I’ve been meaning to ask if Beth would like - really, they’re no use to me, but they’re worth so many rupees I feel guilty just throwing them away. And-- oh, I apologise - I don’t mean to go on.”

He doesn’t mind at all, though. Her voice brings him so much genuine comfort he could listen to her talk all day - and it’s so nice to hear her be excited and happy. One of the most difficult things about staying in Castle Town is trying to hide emotion from his voice when he talks to her - she is definitely more skilled on that front - so he had earned a bit of a reputation for being ‘silent and stoic’ (which apparently the town girls discussed more than he was comfortable with - much to Zelda’s jealousy), but it was better than anyone suspecting anything. And, even if she was good at putting on a front, it still felt weird to hear her be so formal towards him.

So he lets her talk as much as she wants, when they get the chance.

“Are you feeling better?” Comes her voice again, “you seem a little better.”

“Yeah.” He says, meaning it this time, “I’m sorry - I know there are worse things to worry about.”

“No, it’s okay. Whatever’s bothering you, it’s valid; I’m here to help you, you know that.”

He knows. 

He wouldn’t have thought it when they first met, and even in the beginning stages of their relationship he would sometimes be weirded out the Princess wanted to even be near him - but, by this point, she was just  _ Zelda.  _ The princess title came second, now.

“Thank you, Zeldie,” Link mumbles, pressing the briefest kiss to her lips, “you know I’m here for you, too.”

The princess smiles, reaching up to brush a loose strand of hair behind his ear - the air around them is silent, save for a few birds, but it’s peaceful. 

“I love you,” She says again, “Please don’t worry. I wouldn’t change this for the world.”

He can’t help the grin that comes to his lips at that, putting his other arm around her and pulling her as close as he possibly can.

“Aw, you sap. I love you, too.”

He knows they’ll have to go soon - the sun is beginning to set in the distance, and they were only supposed to be gone a few hours - Epona, patient as ever, will need feeding soon, too.

He looks down at Zelda in his arms - her crown taken off, her hair messy from the breeze, and finds it odd people expect her to be anything other than a young girl. She deserves all the jewels and respect in the world, but at the same time, when she’s at ease like this, she looks so happy that he begins to think maybe she  _ truly  _ doesn’t mind about where he takes her.

He’d give her the world if he could, but maybe this was the next best thing.

They stay like that, for a while, the Princess and the Hero - or, as they are now, just Zelda and Link, his hand running through her hair, the heavy jewellery she’s expected to wear forgotten in a pile in the corner.

All good things must come to an end, though, and it’s not willingly he lets go of her, standing up and offering her a hand.

“Well, your highness,” He smirks slightly, “I do believe it’s time to return from our little holy outing.”

She laughs in response, taking his hand and standing to face him, “I thank you for your ever-vigilant protection, Sir Link.”

“Keeping you safe is why I’m here,” He smiles at her, his tone only half joking now, “thanks aren’t necessary.”

“I’m serious… I am grateful. And that means a lo--”

“I mean, it’s what I’m paid to do, right?”

“Shut up!” She rolls her eyes, hitting his arm gently, “Now we really should go - or I might just have to replace you.”

“Aw my Zeldie, you wouldn’t!”

It’s only an hour or so’s ride back to Castle Town, and she’s already doing her hair back up and fixing her crown into place - their lighthearted mood won’t last long, he knows that, and it’ll be all back to bows and nods and formal titles soon, but at least for now, he gives her one last hug before getting up on Epona, brushing his lips against her cheek - and then her jaw, and then her lips. 

It’s not perfect, but for moments like this, they both think the secrecy is worth it. 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm trying to get into writing more, so if you have any requests or ideas please drop them in the comment section!!  
> As usual, thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed! It was a change of pace to write from Link's view rather than Zelda's, so I hope it turned out okay <3


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